Our friend, Edda Servi Machlin, author of "The Classic Cuisine of the
Italian Jews" grew up in a small Tuscan town and lived in Florence for
five years. We asked her to recommend a hotel for a stay there. "You must
go to the 'Villa San Michele'," she said. "It's not
in Florence, but high in the hills above it in Fiesole. And
it's one of the most beautiful places on earth."

Unfortunately, the 24-room hotel was sold out. "Go for dinner," she
suggested. "The views of the city at dusk are worth the trip, (about a
40-minute drive from the center of town). And the food, you'll see, you never
tasted anything quite like it." Edda was right.

We arrived at 7 p.m., while it was still early enough to walk the grounds filled
with lemon and cherry trees, to climb the side of the hill where the pool is
set, to explore the courtyards and to have a drink in the vaulted loggia overlooking
Fiesole's terraced vineyards and the terra-cotta tiled roofs of Florence. The
daylight faded into evening and the city below started shimmering. It was time
to move on to dinner.

Candlelight, flowers and a superb menu awaited us. We chose the special A
Tavola Con Lo Chef, four outstanding courses—duck breast carpaccio, ravioli
with potatoes and wild boar, rack of lamb au gratin and tiramisu— from the kitchen
of chef Attilio di Fabrizio.

Five centuries of history are behind the villa's facade designed by Michaelangelo.
The Davanzati family, who owned the land and whose holdings matched that of
the Medicis, gave the acreage to the Franciscans for a monastery in 1411. Napoleon
lived here briefly, followed by an order of Benedictine nuns. For more than
a century it was a private home until it was sold in 1950. Lucian Teissier,
a Parisian, bought the property and began restoring it to its original 16th-century
look. Venice Simplon Orient-Express Hotels took over in 1982 and continued the
restoration. Villa San Michele is filled with Renaissance art, antiques and
the articles of ecclesiastic life and looks very much like a monastery. But
it is also very much a luxury hotel.